Trials
by Cat2000
Summary: Risa is a young girl being trained in the art of witchcraft by a wizard. She sometimes aids the gang in Spooksville, but her trials to become a full witch are coming up, and she must complete those
1. Chapter One

Trials

Chapter One  
  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Spooksville, and I'm not making any money from this fic

**Summary:** Risa is a young girl being trained in the art of witchcraft by a wizard. She sometimes aids the gang in Spooksville (Springville is the proper name, I think), but her trials to become a full witch are coming up, and she must complete those

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Risa took a slight step back, drew in a deep breath, and swung her arm in a wide arc, her magic creating a bright blue line of energy through the air.

"No, that's _still_ wrong!" the wizard Nightshade exclaimed. "I told you, you're using too much power! It's only a medium-strength shield, not a super-strength one!"

Risa clenched her fist, and swept her arm back up again, making the shield vanish. "I'm sorry, Nightshade," she said contritely. "I don't know why I'm having so much trouble with my spells."

"Yes, you do," Nightshade replied. "It has to do with your family."

Risa blinked, and then inwardly cursed. Of course. She'd forgotten to shield her mind yet again. It seemed like she was _always_ forgetting to do that, and Nightshade found it easy to just lift her thoughts from her mind.

"I heard that," Nightshade scolded mildly. "I've told you _not_ to use language like that, Risa. At least, not where _I_ can hear you."

"I'm sorry," Risa sighed. "It's just that... I still don't understand why I had to leave my family."

"So that I could train you in using your powers," Nightshade replied.

"But... Why couldn't you just have trained me while I was still living with my family?" Risa wanted to know.

"Because you would be too dangerous left where you were," Nightshade answered. "Your powers are strong, Risa. But you would be dangerous left with your family, even if I _was_ training you. You could have quite easily lost control and hurt someone. This way, I can keep an eye on you."

Risa sighed. "I miss my sister mainly," she said sadly. "We were really close."

"Would it help to know that your sister moved to Spooksville some time ago?" Nightshade asked.

Risa stared at Nightshade. "How come you didn't tell me that before?" she demanded.

"Because it could well have caused your emotions to go into overdrive," Nightshade explained. "And while your power was still wild, that could have proved to be _very_ dangerous."

"Can I... see her?" Risa asked, hoping that the answer would be yes.

"I don't see why not," Nightshade replied after a moment's thought. "Just remember that Cindy hasn't seen you for quite a while, so she probably won't recognise you. In fact, I think that it would be a good idea for you to start going to school and mix with children your own age."

"_School_?" Risa wailed. "Why do I need to go to school? I already know how to read and write and all that!"

"You've had to grow up pretty fast, Risa," Nightshade replied. "Now it's time for you to learn how to be a child again."

"That made absolutely _no_ sense!" Risa protested.

"I know," Nightshade replied. "But it sounded good anyway."

Risa gave him an odd look, then, despite herself, burst out laughing.

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The next morning, instead of dressing in her training clothes, Risa slipped into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She then brushed and plaited her long black hair.

When Risa had finished getting dressed, Nightshade came into her room. "Looking forward to your first day of school?" he asked, smiling.

"Not really," Risa confessed. Nightshade was easy to talk to. She had never kept anything from him. Until now, of course. She was sure that that would change now that she was going to school again. "I've got butterflies in my stomach," she admitted.

"They'll fade," Nightshade replied, moving to stand behind Risa. He made a gesture with his right hand, and murmured a few soft words while Risa heard a sound very similar to a bell ringing in her head. A white flower slowly formed in Nightshade's fingers, and, when it was fully formed, he gently tucked it behind Risa's ear. "There," he smiled.

Suddenly overcome by emotion, Risa turned and hugged Nightshade tightly.

"Hey," Nightshade said softly, gently stroking Risa's head. "Cheer up, Risa. It's not like we're going to be separated all the time, after all. Just for about six hours a day for five days a week."

Risa gave a wan smile. "I guess you're right," she replied.

Nightshade pulled back gently from Risa. "All right, let's go," he said simply.

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	2. Chapter Two

Trials

Chapter Two  
  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Spooksville, though I do own Risa, and I'm not making any money from this fic

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Risa and Nightshade walked from the house to the school Risa was due to start at.

_Having a wizard as a mentor _does _have advantages,_ Risa thought. Nightshade had managed to persuade the school to accept Risa straight away, even over the phone.

Because Risa didn't want her sister to realise that she was around, at least not yet, Risa had kept her first name, but had taken Nightshade's name as her surname – she was now Risa Nightshade as opposed to Risa Makey. Cindy wouldn't recognise her by her looks alone. At least, Risa _hoped _she wouldn't.

Nightshade stopped outside the school gates, and turned to Risa. "Are you sure about this?" he asked her. "You don't have to go if you don't want to."

"No, I _do _want to go," Risa replied. "I guess I feel like I have to. You're right, Nightshade. I really _should_ be in school. Besides, I _would_ like to mix with others my age."

"All right," Nightshade said. "Now listen, Risa. Who you tell or don't tell about your particular... _talents_ is up to you. I just ask that you be careful about who you tell. If you trust the wrong person, you will likely not be able to complete your trials."

"I don't plan on telling _anyone_ about my powers, Nightshade," Risa replied. "So don't worry. Anyway, I'm sure I can find the office, Nightshade. I'll go in on my own. I think that _you'll_ draw too much attention."

"_And _you don't want to look like you have to rely on me," Nightshade murmured.

Risa merely blinked. She _had_ forgotten to shield her mind again, after all. She really _did _need to remember that. One would think that she would have learned by now. "Yes, there is _that_," she agreed.

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Risa made her way slowly to the head teacher's office, using a small part of her power to gently probe the way while more of her power went to keeping a tight shield around her mind. Chances were, there would be other people with magical powers in the school. Risa would have to start being more careful.

After a few moments, Risa found the head teacher's office. She knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in," a male voice called.

Risa pushed open the door, and stepped into the room.

There was a man with dark hair streaked with grey sitting at the desk in the room. He looked up as Risa entered.

"Hello, my name's Risa M... Nightshade," Risa said. _Oh, great, _she thought to herself. _I almost slipped up. I'm going to have to start watching what I say._

"Oh, yes," the man replied. "I'm the headmaster here – Mr. Kiva. I have your timetable and a plan of the school for you here somewhere. You'll be in registration now." He started rifling through the papers on his desk, finally finding a couple of sheets of paper, which he handed to Risa. "Your registration class won't be too hard to find," he told her. "It's just up the hall a little way. If you need anything else, just come back here."

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There were a lot of people going into the classroom, so Risa was able to slip into the room largely unnoticed. She took a seat near the back, and scanned the room with her eyes and her mind.

There was a rather mixed group of children in Risa's registration. There were a few with magical talent, but not any that were really strong. And none of them had had any training.

And then _she _walked into the classroom.

Her looks were quite ordinary. She had waist-length white-blonde hair pulled into a ponytail and dark blue eyes.

But Risa wasn't interested in the girl's looks. Her eyes narrowed, then widened.

_She has power!_ Risa thought, shocked. _A lot of it. It's different to mine, though... And it's largely untrained. I'll have to tell Nightshade about this. Her power could be just as dangerous as_ mine _would have been untrained._

Before she really thought about it, Risa caught the girl's eye and waved her over.

The girl hesitated, and then slowly made her way over to Risa. "Hello," she said. "You're new, aren't you?"

"I am," Risa replied. "My name's Risa... Nightshade." _I _really _have to get used to being Risa Nightshade,_ she added silently.

"My name's Rachel Thompson," the other girl said. "Hey... If you want someone to show you round the school, _I'd _be happy to."

"Thank you," Risa smiled. "I'll take you up on your offer." _And it'll also give me a chance to keep an eye on Rachel and her power,_ she thought to herself.

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	3. Chapter Three

Trials  
  
Chapter Three  
  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Spooksville, and I'm not making any money from this fic  
  
"So... Where do you live?" Rachel asked Risa at lunchtime as they say on the ground eating their food.  
  
Risa was surprised at that question, though she knew that she shouldn't be. It was going to come up sooner or later. But she was taking a drink at that particular moment, and immediately started coughing as the liquid went down the wrong way.  
  
Rachel instantly thumped Risa on the back until she stopped choking. "Are you all right?" Rachel asked, concerned.  
  
Risa nodded. "Sorry," she replied. "You just took me by surprise. I live in the Raven House with my... guardian."  
  
"The Raven House?" Rachel frowned. "That's haunted, isn't it?"  
  
"I haven't seen any ghosts," Risa said truthfully.  
  
"I'd _love_ to be able to see the Raven House," Rachel commented in a slightly wistful tone, staring off into the distance.  
  
"You can come round any time if you want," Risa replied. "You're welcome to."  
  
"Thank you." Rachel smiled, and then asked, "What about your parents? What do they do?"  
  
Risa hesitated for a long moment, and then lowered her head. "I had to leave my family," she whispered, blinking several times in an attempt to stop the tears that she knew were going to fall.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry." Rachel reached out to gently place a hand on Risa's shoulder. "Can you tell me _why_ you had to leave?" she asked in a gentle tone.  
  
Risa slowly shook her head. "No," she answered. "I... can't. Not yet at least." _At least, not until I'm sure that you won't get freaked out or anything if I_ do _tell you,_ she added silently.  
  
"It's all right, Risa," Rachel said, lightly squeezing Risa's shoulder. "You don't have to tell me if you'd rather not."  
  
Risa raised her head, and gave Rachel a grateful look. "Thanks."  
  
"No problem." Rachel hesitated, then said, "You know that Spooksville is... well... _spooky_, right?"  
  
Risa nodded, not quite sure what Rachel was getting at.  
  
"Well... I was wondering if you'd like to go through the Secret Path with me?" Rachel suggested. "I've always wanted to try it, but I've been too scared to go it on my own."  
  
"Well, it would _certainly_ be interesting," Risa replied. "And I've always been curious about the Secret Path... But do you know how to open the portal?"  
  
Rachel nodded. "We have to trek around the town following the highlights of the life of Madeline Templeton, the witch who founded this town," she explained. "I know where we have to go. Adam told me."  
  
_It'll be interesting to see some of the things that lie on the other side of the Secret Path,_ Risa thought to herself. _And it might offer me some extra training with my powers. After all, I_ have_ got my trials coming up._ Then, she frowned. "Who is Adam?" she asked.  
  
Adam Freeman," Rachel replied. "He has three friends – Watch, Sally Wilcox, and Cindy Makey. There are also a couple of other kids who hang around with them who I don't know so well."  
  
_Cindy Makey?_ Risa thought, hiding the feelings _that_ name stirred in her. Nightshade _had_ said that her sister was in Spooksville... But Risa felt relieved to have his words confirmed.  
  
Rachel suddenly got to her feet. "Why don't I introduce you to them?" she suggested.  
  
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	4. Chapter Four

Trials

Chapter Four  
  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Spooksville, and I'm not making any money from this fic

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Rachel moved through the school grounds, tugging Risa along behind her and continually looking around for Adam and the others.

Risa was racking her brains for some kind of excuse _not _to go and see Cindy and her friends. It wasn't that she didn't _want_ to see her sister, because she _did_. More than anything else in the whole world, even becoming a full-fledged witch. But how could she stand to see her sister again after so long... And keep quiet about their true relationship?

So Risa was of two minds about finally seeing her sister again.

Suddenly, though, Risa heard a soft whispering noise. She whipped her head around. _Oh, no!_ she thought. _How could they have left the house?!_

Risa kept her eyes firmly fixed to a part of Rachel's back, ignoring the tantalising glimpses out of the corner of her eyes. Nightshade had always told her that the ghosts wouldn't be able to touch Risa as long as she didn't give in to them.

Rachel paused, and then turned to look at Risa. "Are you all right?" she asked, worried.

Risa nodded. "I'm fine," she replied, struggling to concentrate on Rachel, though it was _so _hard not to look at the ghosts. "Just... Can we _please _keep moving?"

To her credit, Rachel didn't ask why. Seemingly sensing Risa's need to hurry, she just turned back round and started running, dragging Risa along behind her.

Risa's eyes remained fixed on Rachel's back, but she felt as though someone, or some_thing_, was calling her. Suddenly, Rachel seemed to be keeping her back rather than helping her.

With a huge effort, Risa wrenched her arm from Rachel's grip, and turned to run towards whatever was calling her.

"Hey, Adam!" Rachel said suddenly.

Risa immediately stopped dead as Rachel spoke and the ghosts vanished. She shook her head a little. _Darn, _she thought to herself. _They almost got me this time. _She turned to look at the four children who had just arrived, and her eyes widened a little.

_My sister! _Risa thought, panicked. _I hope she recognises me... No, I hope she _doesn't _recognise me._

"Hi, Rachel," the short, dark-haired boy said with a smile.

"This is Risa Nightshade," Rachel told them, nodding to Risa. "She's new. Risa, this is Adam, Cindy, Sally, and Watch."

_Hm, I wonder why he wears four watches? _Risa thought to herself.

"So, you're new?" the thin, dark-haired Sally asked. "Seen anything _spooky _yet? You're still here, so it can't have gotten _too _scary for you yet."

"We really must apologise for Sally," Cindy told Risa. "She doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut."

_Of course! _Risa realised. _They think that I've only just moved to Spooksville. They don't know that I've been here since I left my family. I've been _terrified _since I first got here because of all the ghosts and portals in my house. It's just that fear isn't going to do any good._

Risa gave a slight shrug. "Fear doesn't help any," she said. _There. _That's _a suitably vague answer. I'm _not _giving _anything _away at the moment._

"That's true," Watch said. "But people who _don't _get scared are usually just fools."

Risa _could _have argued that point... But she chose not to. If they wanted to believe she rarely got scared, that was _their _problem. After all, she _had _made it _sound _like she rarely got scared.

"_I _don't get scared," Sally said. "Even horror movies don't scare me. It's probably because my whole life is a horror movie. I've gotten used to it."

Risa glanced towards her sister, and felt a mixture of sadness and relief as she saw that Cindy didn't recognise her.

_Hm, I wonder if Rachel is going to tell them about our plan to venture the Secret Path? _Risa thought to herself.

_Risa! _Nightshade's voice suddenly echoed in Risa's mind.__

_Nightshade? What is it? _Risa asked silently.

_Get somewhere private and I'll tell you! _Nightshade answered.

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	5. Chapter Five

Trials 

Chapter Five 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Spooksville, though I claim Risa, Rachel, Nightshade, and the plot of this story, and I'm not making any money from this fic 

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Risa hesitated a moment, worried. She _knew_ that Nightshade wouldn't contact her at school without a good reason. But what could it possibly be? 

Rachel was talking animatedly to Adam, while the other three didn't seem to be paying much attention. 

"Um, I've just got to go and... do something," Risa said. "I'll be back soon." And then she ran off until she found somewhere that was pretty much deserted. Then, she stopped.__

_Are you alone?_ Nightshade demanded.__

_Yes,_ Risa answered. 

After a moment, Nightshade appeared in front of Risa. 

"What's wrong, Nightshade?" Risa wanted to know. 

"Your witch trials are going to have to be completed sooner," Nightshade explained. He _sounded_ calm... But Risa knew him well enough to know that he really wasn't. "You're going to have to get a _lot_ of training in," he added. 

Risa flinched. "What do you mean?" she asked. "I thought I had plenty of time to train for my trials." 

"Well, you don't anymore," Nightshade replied. "The forces of darkness are becoming _much_ stronger, Risa." 

Risa's eyes widened, and she took a step back. "Is _that_ why all of the ghosts have been appearing _here_?" 

Nightshade nodded slowly. "I'm afraid so," he said. "And, Risa, you _cannot_ do this alone. If you even _try_, then you will be destroyed. You need to find some people who you can work with." 

"People with magical ability?" 

Raised eyebrows. "You've found some?" 

"Only one," Risa answered. "But her gift isn't trained. It doesn't _seem_ to be dangerous, though. I mean, she hasn't accidentally, or deliberately, harmed anyone as far as _I've_ been able to see." 

"But you've been trying to keep an eye on her anyway." It wasn't a question. 

Risa nodded. 

"Have you seen your sister at all?" Nightshade questioned. 

"Yes," Risa answered. "She's teamed up with three other kids - Watch, Adam, and Sally." 

"I've heard about them," Nightshade replied. "Ann Templeton has mentioned them before." 

"Ann Templeton? Is she any relation to Madeline Templeton?" 

"Her direct descendent," Nightshade answered. "She's the town witch." 

At just that moment, Rachel came running up to them. "Risa, are you..." she began. Then, her voice trailed off as she saw Nightshade. "Um, hello. My name's Rachel." 

"I'm Nightshade," Nightshade replied. "I'm Risa's guardian."__

_Hm, I see what you mean about this girl,_ Nightshade commented in Risa's mind. _Her particular magic is _very_ different to yours. But she could _still_ use some training.___

_Can't you tell what _form_ her magic takes?_ Risa wanted to know.__

_No, I can't,_ Nightshade answered. 

Rachel looked at Risa. "Are you coming to lessons?" she asked. 

"Oh, yeah," Risa said. 

"Hey, maybe this weekened we could go the Secret Path," Rachel added in a low voice. 

Risa grinned. 

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"Wow, what a trek," Risa said when she and Rachel finally reached the cemetery. 

"Yeah, I know," Rachel replied. "Unfortunately, that's the only way to enter the Secret Path." 

"So what do we do now?" Risa asked. 

"We have to walk to the tombstone backwards," Rachel explained. "It's better to do it holding hands. That way, there's less chance of us ending up in different dimensions to each other."__

_Hm, walking backwards _does_ seem a little strange,_ Risa thought to herself. _And if it doesn't work, then I'll feel really stupid... But I can't miss the chance that this might help me train my magical ability._

Risa took a deep breath. "All right, let's do it," she said. 

Rachel took Risa's hand, and the two walked backwards towards the witch's tombstone. 

Fully expecting to hit the stone, Risa was taken by surprise when the whole world shifted. Stars flew, and the two seemed to be moving, but at the same time standing still. Risa gripped tightly to Rachel's hand, but couldn't see her friend at all. 

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Risa looked around. Her first thought was that the portal hadn't worked... But then, she realised that it _had_. 

Rachel's eyes had been squeezed tightly shut, but now she opened them, and looked around with a soft gasp. 

It appeared that they had entered a dimension steeped in the past. The buildings that the two girls could see were merely straw huts. There were no signs of the shops, or cinema, or anything else modern. 

Suddenly, there was a frightened gasp from behind the two girls. Both whirled, to be confronted by a boy a little older than they were. He was babbling in a strange language. 

"What's he saying?" Rachel wondered. 

Risa blinked. For some reason, the boy's words were making sense to her. Unknown to her, her eyes glazed over. "He demands to know how we got in here," she said in a flat tone. 

"You can _understand_ him?" Rachel gasped. 

Risa ignored her friend as the boy continued to talk. "He says that we should not have come here. That we will now be food for the ghouls and vampires." 

Rachel shot Risa a frightened look. "What ghouls and vampires?" 

Risa pointed. "_Those_ ghouls and vampires, I should imagine." 

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